Leaning wheel



Dec. 1, 1931. E. c. GLEDHILL LEANING WHEEL Filed Nov. 5, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 1, 1931.

E. c. GLEDHILL LEANING WHEEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed No 5. 1930 27. c. g'iedizill.

Patented Dec. 1, 1931 U D STATas PATENT. OFFICE i i i EnwAnn Gi-EDHILIL, or GALION, onto I LEANING Application filed November 5, 19:40. Serial so. 403,040.

In the use of road graders or scrapers, it is now the general: practice to.v provide the ground wheels with mounts which willcper init themto be tilted so that; the top of the wheel will lean toward the direction in which the material is being moved by the blade of the scraper or grad-er, this arrangement serving to resist the thrust of the load'and to hold the grader to its work more efi'ect-ually than would be; the. caseif thewheel was set strictly vertical and parallel with the side of the machine The objecteofthe present invention is to provide; efiicient means whereby the wheel may be tilted both vertically and. hori- '16 zontally and caused to assume a position at any desired angle to-a Vertical plane or any desired angleto a horizontal plane or set in any'intermediate position. This object is accomplished by the use of mecha-nism such as is illustrated in the accompanying. draw; ings, and the -invention resides in certain novel features which-willbe hereinafter first fully described and then more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings: v

v I Figure lis an elevation ofa wheel mounted inaocordance with the present invention,-

I Fig. 2 is a section taken on the central longitudinal vertical plane of the parts shown in Fig.1,

Fig. 3 is a transversesection on the line 3" '3 of Fig. 1,: and

1 F ig. 4. isadetail transverse line H'o-f. Fig.2.. n I

In the drawings,the reference numeral 1 indicatestheend ofanaxle of a roadgrader o-rother machine which is employed fOl-IIIOV- ing road material for the purpose of grading the; same or otherwise shifting a portion of the earth surface. In carrying out the present invention I secureto the end of the axle -1 a head 2 which has acentral boss 3, the bore ofwhich ispreferably angular-in cross section so as to conformto the angular cross section of theaxle. This head 2 is-rigidlysecured tothe axle by a pin Ainserted diametrically through the boss and through the axle, as shown in Fig.1 2, or by'other means as may be preferred-. The head is provided on its outer facejwithan annular rimx5 whereby a censection on the tra-l circular seat or recess is pro'duced to re ceive an annular flange 6 on the inner end of a bent spindle 7. The "spindle 7 is of polygonal cross section through a portion of its length immediately adjacent the flange 6 and at its a outer end is reduced in diameter and given a circular cross section, as shown at 8, whereby itwill rotatably support the ground wheel 9. i The ground wheel is secured upon the cireulair portion Sof the spindle by-a nutlOthere i on and a hub cap 11 is secured upon the outer side of thewheelover the nut 10 as'to protect the same and the end of the spindle from an accumulation of dirtand other mat: ter which would tend to clog the operation of '35 the device and to create excessive Wear upon the parts. The inner end of the hub 12fof ctheiwheel is provided with spaced lugs or teeth 13 and slidably mounted upon the spin; dle is a collar ltformed with mating lugs 15 adapted to engagebetween the lugs or teeth 18 ofthehub, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2. and as will be understood; The bore of the collar 14 is polygonalor non-circular to conform to the cross sectional contour of the bent portion of the spindle and'the collar, therefore, may slide along the spindle but will be constrained to rotate therewith. Fitting; over the margin of the annular flange 6 is a cap plate 16 which is secured to the head 2. by 5b by bolts 17 instte'dthrough the plate and the head at intervals around the margins thereof andat the top of this cap plate are lugs18 to and between whichis fulcrumed a lever 19. Extending around the central opening of-the m plate/'16 on the outer face of the plate arespa'cedlugs or teeth 20,- as shown; Slidably fitted upon the spindle 7 adjacent the cap plate 16 is a collar .21 having an annular v groove 22 in its periphery within which are do engaged studs 28 mounted in the ends of a fork 24 which is formed on the lower end of the lever 19 whereby thecollar 21 may shifted along the spindlein-an obvious manner and said collar is provided with lugs or teeth 25 on its inner face which are adapted to mate with and engage between the lugs or teeth 20 upon the cap plate in'an obvious manner.- Links 26 are pivoted to lugs 27.011

the outer faeeof the collar 21 at one end and foo "consuming.

that the head 2 cannot revolve inasmuch as it is fixed to the stationary axle 1 and the cap. plate 16 being bolted to the head Wlll, of

course, be held stationary. Consequently, if the collar 21 be shifted into engagement with the cap plate 16, the spindle 7 will .be held:

against rotation and the wheel will be locked inthe position in which it may be set. The wheel may rotate freely upon -the end portion 8 of the spindle'and normally the collar 21- will be locked to the cap plate 16 and the collar 14 will be released from the hub of the wheel; If it be desired to change the inclination of the wheel so that its topwill be tilted outwardly from" the machine or to set the wheel so that, while its top andbottom will be in the same vertical plane, thewheel will be disposed at an angle to the line of travel,

the hand 'lever is shifted so that the collar 21 will be released from the cap plate 16 and the collar l l-simultaneously engaged with the end of the hub, whereupon therotation of the wheel due to'the travel of the machine will cause the wheelttorotate and this rotation will be transmitted to the spindle through the collar-14 inan obvious manner. Inasmuch as the spindle is bent and the wheel is mounted upon the outer portion which is in angular relation to the inner {portion of the spindle and the axle, the'hub of the wheel will be caused to travel in an orbital path 7 'about'the central line of the axle and this shifting of the position otthe outer end of the'bentspindle will, of course, change the angular disposition of the wheel. When the wheel has assumed the desired position, the hand'lever'19 is rocked'so that'the collar 21 will be again engaged with the cap plate 16 and the collar'14 released from the hub of the wheel so that the spindle will be locked in the'position in which it has been'se't and the wheel will be: thereupon maintained in the desired-position of angularity. "It will thus be seen that with the present device thewheel is shifted automatically to a de- 'sired'pos'ition by thetra-vel'ot themachine upon which it is mounted and the desired result is consequently attained with minimum'efiort uponthe part ofthe operator,

whereas heretofore, so'tar as I am aware, it Was'necessary to manually manipulate varl- ,ous' d-evices'so that the operation of changing the set of 'a wheel-was laborious and timethe invention may be applied to all the wheels of a machine and they may be so arranged that all the wheels may be changed at one time or only one of them changed or two or more of them changed and it will be possible to so arrange the devices that the wheels 7 may be tilted'in different directions corset in different degreesof inclination. s

Having thus described the invention, I claim: a

1. In' a tilting wheel mechanism, a bent spindle, means for mounting said spindle upon the end of an axle for independent rotation about the axis of the axle, and means for locking the spindle against rotation.

2. In a tilting wheel structure, a bent spindle, a wheel freely rotatable upon an extremity of said spindle, means for mounting the spindle rotatably upon the end of an axle, means for causing the spindle to rotate with the wheel, and means for locking'the spindle against rotation. i I

In a tilting wheel mechanism, a bent spindle, means for rotatably mounting the spindle at one end upon the end of an axle, a wheel rotatably mounted upon the outer vend of the-spindle, means for locking the wheel-to the spindle, and meansfor locking the spindle against rotation and simultaneously releasing the wheel to rotate about the spindle or vice versa; whereby the'angular disposition of the spindle'may be automatically" shifted as the wheel travels over tl'll ground] 4.- Ina tiltingwheel structure, a head, means for securingsaid head upon the end of an axle,a"bent spindle having an annular 'flange' rotatably seated 'in'said head, means for retaining said flange inthe head and permitting rotation of the spindle, a wheel rotatably mounted upon the outer end of the spindle, means for locking'the' wheel to the spindle, means for locking the spindle against rotation, and means whereby when the spindle is locked against rotation the wheel will be released to rotate freely. V

5. In a tilting wheel structure, the combination of a bent spindle, means for rotatably mountin the spindle at its inner end upon the end 0 an axle, a wheel rotatably mounted upon' the outer-end of the spindle, acollar slidably mounted on-the spindle and constrained to rotate "therewith and con 'structed to engage the wheel to lock the wheel wheel will be released to rotate freely; It will be understood that, while Ihave ishown only mountingfora single wheel and have r'eferred in my description to a wheel,

6. In a tiltingwheel structure, the comannular flange on the inner end of the spindle freely seated in the outer face of the head, a cap plate secured to the head and extending over said flange whereby to retain the spindle upon the head, said cap plate being provided around its center with a series of' spaced lugs, a collar slidably mounted upon the spindle but constrained to rotatethere with and provided on its inner'side with a series of spaced lugs-arranged to mate with the lugs on the cap plate, a lever for shifting said collar, a wheel rotatably mounted upon the outer end of thespindle, a series of spaced lugs on the inner end of the wheel hub, a collar slidably mounted on the spindle and constrained to rotate therewith and provided upon its outer face with a series of spaced lugs arranged to mate with the lugs onthe wheel hub, and links pivoted to and connecting the said collars.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

EDWARD C. GLEDHILL. [1,. s.] 

